Mark Vientos Went Yard Twice and the Mets Are Finally Starting to Look Alive

The New York Mets desperately needed something to click, and they finally got it. Fresh off grabbing their first road series win since early April, New York is heading to Denver to take on the struggling Colorado Rockies on Monday to start a three-game set. After a brutal 10-21 start, the Mets might actually be turning a corner.

The turnaround started with a 5-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday, and Mark Vientos was the spark plug. The guy went deep twice, each time with runners on, and suddenly the bats woke up. That's what the Mets needed: someone stepping up when it matters. New York's offense has been a disaster overall, scoring just 118 runs, which ranks second worst in baseball ahead of only the Giants' 106.

The Mets Are Still Searching for Consistency

Manager Carlos Mendoza knows what needs to happen next. "That's our goal, to start winning series," he said. "That's what it's going to take for us to get to where we want to be. One series at a time, one game at a time."

Vientos echoed that mindset. "I think that's the name of the game, putting yesterday in the past," he said. "We have to focus on the right now."

The Mets will roll out an opener on Monday before handing the ball to David Peterson, a 30-year-old left-hander from Denver facing his hometown team. Peterson has been rough lately, sitting at 0-4 with a 6.53 ERA. In his last three starts, he hasn't even made it through four innings. Against Washington on Wednesday, he gave up seven runs on five hits in 3 2/3 frames in a 14-2 blowout. Still, Peterson has history working in his favor against Colorado: he's 3-1 with a 1.99 ERA in four previous starts against the Rockies.

Colorado Needs to Stop the Bleeding

The Rockies are in free fall. They've dropped five of their last six games despite sweeping the Mets back on April 24-26. Last weekend against Atlanta was an absolute nightmare, with the pitching staff allowing 28 runs across three games. That's not a starting point, that's a disaster.

Colorado will counter with Tomoyuki Sugano, a 36-year-old right-hander the team signed as an offseason addition. Sugano is 3-1 with a 2.84 ERA, and he's been solid. In his last outing, he threw 5 1/3 scoreless frames with two strikeouts in a 13-2 win over Cincinnati on Wednesday. Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer praised his efficiency. "He set the tone, kept them off-balanced, relied on his offspeed pitches," Schaeffer said. "He was really good, efficient, just like he's been all year." Sugano faced New York once last season when he was with Baltimore, giving up three runs in six innings in a 7-3 win on July 10.

The game starts Monday night, though it's been moved up three hours because of expected bad weather in Denver. The Mets need to keep this momentum rolling. The Rockies need to find any way to stop it.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.